FROM THESE ROOTS: THE ROLE OF HBCUS IN PREPARING THE NATION’S GERONTOLOGISTS FOR AN AGING SOCIETY

Abstract The aging of the U.S. population is creating an increased need for social workers and other helping professionals with training in gerontology. Estimates indicate that less than 3% of MSW students are enrolled in an aging concentration, as compared to 19% enrolled in children/youth concentrations. The phenomenon of a diverse baby boomer generation joining the ranks of persons age 65 and older has created a plethora of scholarship and curriculum development aimed at readying the aging network for the unprecedented growth of older persons. Social work can make unique contributions to the field of gerontology. This study asserts, however, that social work is not adequately prepared to practice in an increasingly diverse aging society. The social work profession has articulated commitments to acknowledging and affirming how diversity and culture shape the human experience and to developing social workers who can competently engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. However, there remains a need in social work education for more widespread use of culturally relevant pedagogies that can help achieve these goals. Informed by both the Afrocentric and Black perspectives, this study presents a content analysis of the curricula infused at two historically Black universities. The nature and extent of the contributions of historically Black universities to social work education is the focus of this article. The scope of this investigation also includes the identification of prominent Black social work educators and discusses the implications of these perspectives for more culturally informed gerontology curricula that promote culturally competent gerontological social workers


"NO FEAR, ALL FAITH": RELIGIOUS COPING AND COVID-19 VACCINE HESITANCY AMONG OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS
Antonius Skipper, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States While COVID-19 had a devasting impact on many groups across the globe, older African Americans were especially affected by the disproportionate rates of morbidity and mortality associated with the virus.Faced with "double jeopardy" -the nature of being both old and Black -older African Americans were at an increased risk of COVID-19-related infection and death due to their age and factors associated with ethnicity (e.g., access to resources, distrust of healthcare).These risks led many health professionals to prioritize COVID-19 vaccine uptake for older African Americans.However, historically and contemporaneously, African Americans report some of the highest levels of vaccine hesitancy in comparison to other ethnic groups.Many older African Americans use religious coping as a source to alleviate the stress of health threats.Yet, the novelty of COVID-19 contributed to a limited understanding of how and why vaccine hesitant older African Americans used religious coping in response to the pandemic.The present study gathered qualitative data from 22 vaccine hesitant older African Americans to describe the role of religious coping in vaccine hesitancy.Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and inductive coding methods.Analyses identified several salient themes relative to religious coping and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, including (1) No Fear, All Faith, (2) Prayer Protects my Peace, and 3) My Faith Justifies my Hesitance.As vaccine uptake remains important for both older adults and African Americans, implications from this study highlight important considerations for navigating the nexus of religion and health with highly religious populations.

FROM THESE ROOTS: THE ROLE OF HBCUS IN PREPARING THE NATION'S GERONTOLOGISTS FOR AN AGING SOCIETY Terrell Brown, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi, United States
The aging of the U.S. population is creating an increased need for social workers and other helping professionals with training in gerontology.Estimates indicate that less than 3% of MSW students are enrolled in an aging concentration, as compared to 19% enrolled in children/youth concentrations.The phenomenon of a diverse baby boomer generation joining the ranks of persons age 65 and older has created a plethora of scholarship and curriculum development aimed at readying the aging network for the unprecedented growth of older persons.Social work can make unique contributions to the field of gerontology.This study asserts, however, that social work is not adequately prepared to practice in an increasingly diverse aging society.The social work profession has articulated commitments to acknowledging and affirming how diversity and culture shape the human experience and to developing social workers who can competently engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.However, there remains a need in social work education for more widespread use of culturally relevant pedagogies that can help achieve these goals.Informed by both the Afrocentric and Black perspectives, this study presents a content analysis of the curricula infused at two historically Black universities.The nature and extent of the contributions of historically Black universities to social work education is the focus of this article.The scope of this investigation also includes the identification of prominent Black social work educators and discusses the implications of these perspectives for more culturally informed gerontology curricula that promote culturally competent gerontological social workers Abstract citation ID: igad104.0511

AGING AND HEALTH IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION: AN OVERVIEW OF THE STATE OF RESEARCH
Nekehia Tamara Quashie, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, United States The Caribbean region is undergoing rapid population aging.While there is diversity in the pace of population aging among countries within the region, there are some shared population health challenges including the increasing prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases and the inequalities therein.Relatedly, many Caribbean countries do not have well-established long-term care systems.Therefore, older adults primarily rely on informal care and support mainly from family members, which has implications for the health of older adults and their caregivers.Although Caribbean populations are understudied within gerontology, there is a growing body of research.This presentation provides an overview of the existing state of research on the social determinants of health among older adults within Caribbean societies and discusses directions for future research.

INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS
Abstract citation ID: igad104.0512This paper outlines a unique culturally driven cyclical migration of Alaska Native Elders.This Indigenous cyclical migration is distinct from other previously described mobility observations in that Elders spend extended time in more than one community.We describe the cyclical migration of Alaska Native (AN) Elders and its influence on the Elders' identity, health, and well-being.Employing a life course perspective and social theory of migration, inductive content analysis was employed to identify themes related to Elders' cyclical migration between rural and urban communities and the impact on their identity, health, and well-being.Interviews with 125 AN Elders were conducted across five regions of Alaska: Bristol Bay, Interior, Norton Sound, Aleutian Pribilof Islands, and Southcentral.AN Elders traveled between rural and urban communities to access resources and connections critical to their identities, health, and well-being.Urban Elders maintained a connection to rural villages because they perceive them as healthier places to age based on access to traditional practices, land, and the community.Rural Elders spent extended time in urban settings to access health care services, be closer to family, and to benefit from the lower costs of living.This study builds upon existing migration theories by introducing a cyclical pattern uniquely driven by AN identity, culture, and traditional practices.Everyday discrimination-experiences of being treated unfairly based on background characteristics like race-is linked to poor physical and mental health throughout the lifespan.Whether more experiences of discrimination are associated with higher likelihood of being hospitalized in older African Americans has not been explored.Hospitalization can represent both poor health and healthcare access.Participants were community-dwelling African Americans from the Rush Memory and Aging Project or Minority Aging Research Study, longitudinal studies of aging (N=301 with at least 12 months linked Medicare fee-for-service claims; mean age 72.5 years (standard deviation [SD]: 5.7), 79% female).Discrimination was assessed using the Detroit Area Study Everyday Discrimination Scale.Hospitalizations (sub-categorized as elective/non-elective, surgical) were quantified using Medicare claims.Mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression models tested associations between baseline discrimination and subsequent odds of hospitalizations per year (0, 1, 2+).The mean baseline discrimination score was 1.7 (SD: 2.2).Over an average 6.5 years (SD: 4.1), 160 participants had at least 1 hospitalization (respectively, 118, 87, and 127 participants had at least 1 nonelective, elective, or surgical hospitalization).Adjusting for age, sex, education, income, depressive symptoms, and medical comorbidity, more experiences of discrimination were associated with higher odds of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] per point higher on discrimination score=1.12,95% CI: 1.03-1.22),and higher odds of nonelective (OR=1.12,95% CI: 1.01-1.24),but not surgical or elective hospitalizations.Drivers of these associations, which may include preventive healthcare avoidance due to discrimination or poor health due to the chronic stress response to discrimination, should be explored.

CYCLICAL MIGRATION IN ALASKA NATIVE ELDERS AND ITS IMPACT ON ELDERS' IDENTITY AND LATER LIFE WELL-BEING
Findings illustrate how AN communities can support Elders who experience cyclical migration patterns to ensure they age successfully in both locations.Future recommended research should explore cyclical migration patterns among other Indigenous populations with histories of migration.